Arriving in Cape Town is overwhelming. Fear not, the Red Bus Tour offers itself as a tour guide for “first timers,” as well as return visitors wanting a quick refresher course.
Depending on your place of departure, landing in Cape Town likely spells either a significant change in climate, time zone, or both. Just like surfers at Muizenberg Beach, travelers can delay the onset of jetlag by riding a wave of adrenaline until the inevitable crash.
As Cape Town’s beauty washes over new arrivals, the hours preceding the crash are precious. So much to see…so much to do. If you are a visitor, there will never be enough time. Deciding what to do in the initial post-arrival hours can be a daunting task, especially sans the guidance of a Cape Town native.
Despite the touristy vibes emitted by the two-decker red bus as it traverses through Cape Town’s winding roads, there is no better and quicker way to explore many of the city’s best offerings.
As a student at a small liberal arts school in Indiana – a flat, uneventful state in the middle of the United States – that certainly has been my experience. For the next three months I will be interning for the Cape Town Green Map project keeping you informed about exciting events occurring around the Cape. Great things are happening in the World Design Capital 2014, so I welcome you to follow me on this journey as I attempt to do and see as much as possible.
But, I digress. With buses running every 15 minutes, sightseers can leisurely get on and off at any of the tour’s 18 stops. Beginning at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, the destinations include four different museums, two grand hotels, as well as a castle, a mansion, and a historically important cathedral. Be sure to ration energy though; arguably the two most popular stops occur near the end of the tour. Participants are first driven partially up Table Mountain where they can then board a cable car that carries individuals to the mountain’s top, which stands over 1,000 meters high.
Following the exhilaration induced by Table Mountain’s intimidating height and natural beauty, the next stop conversely provides a tranquil experience. Camp’s Bay offers a welcomed return to sea level where passengers can enjoy the white sands of Cape Town’s pristine beach.
Finally, once the bus returns to its original point of exodus – in front of the magnificent Two Oceans Aquarium – there is little doubt exhaustion will begin overtaking the fading adrenaline.
But it’s nice to know that you now feel as though you have begun to know your way around, and while relaxing over a coffee you can start planning the rest of your visit.
Meet Douglas Hinkel our GreenMap Intern for the next three months.
The country’s first carbon neutral bus operator, City Sightseeing South Africa, owns and operates the Red Bus Tours. (They also run a Blue Bus Tour, which shares many of the same stops; the main difference being Blue’s inclusion of a wine tour through Constantia Valley.) The company’s website states, “Respecting the environment in which we live, is one of our guiding principles and is deeply rooted in our culture.” Consequently, additional efforts have been taken to reduce energy and water consumption and recycle waste; even the supplied headphones for the tour’s audio portion are recyclable.
via Cape Town Green Map.
